Tag: zucchini

In early spring, we seeded about 800 flats of onions and shallots in the greenhouse (that’s over 19,000 onions!). These guys have spent the summer growing in the fields and now the tops are beginning to flop. This is an indication that they are done growing. Once the majority of the onions have flopped, they are pulled, by hand, from the ground and laid on the soil surface for a few days. This allows the roots to dry, decreasing the chance of rot
during storage.

The onions are then loaded onto trucks and transported from the field into greenhouses for curing. Curing allows the onion to dry and for a protective skin to form. We typically let them cure for at least one week, sometimes longer if we are busy harvesting other crops! Once the onions have
dried, the tops and roots are trimmed and they are placed in wooden crates for storage. If the crop is healthy and the storage conditions are right, these onions will last through the beginning of next year. You can never have too many onions in my book!

Ottolenghi’s Eggplant Sauce

This recipe is adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty. The full recipe includes making a fresh corn polenta which is topped with this sauce. However, the sauce sounded so good it seems that it would be delicious on just about anything! Check out the full recipe at Food 52.

Ingredients

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 medium eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1/4cup dry white wine

1 cup chopped peeled tomatoes (fresh or canned)

6 1/2tablespoons water

1/4teaspoon salt

1/4teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped oregano

Preparation

Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and fry the eggplant on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until nicely brown.

Drain off as much oil as you can and discard it — the safest way to do this is to scoop out the eggplant to a plate using a slotted spoon, then pour off the oil into a bowl before added the eggplant back in. You can save the oil to fry lamb chops or eggs in tomorrow.

Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir with the eggplant.

Cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, sugar and oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes to get a deep-flavored sauce.

Set aside; warm it up when needed.

Jalapeno Corn Fritters

This is not the type of thing that I would make regularly, but a good fritter sure is delicious! For a slightly lighter version, omit the bacon and cheese.

One of the things that I love about farming is the constant need for innovation. Challenges arise on a daily basis and it takes creativity and ingenuity to move forward — constant problem solving.

Farmer John Eveland has had a longstanding innovation challenge that came to fruition last week with the inaugural trip of the GTF Mobile Veggie Truck. John hopes that this truck will help the farm bring veggies to folks in under-served areas without regular access to fresh, organic produce.

Since acquiring a retired bottled water truck a few years ago, John has been working away at retrofitting the truck as a veggie mobile. This meant installing pop up awnings, custom built in pop out displays, oh and giving the retired truck’s engine a bit of a tune up!

It has certainly been a shared project as our agronomist took on the task of fabricating the awnings, a local carpenter designed and built the pop out displays, and two local artists painted a beautiful mural on the back.

It is really fun to see that after many years of farming, there are always new, exciting things on the horizon.

Have a wonderful week!

-Lily, CSA Coordinator

Table of Box Contents

☐ Lettuce ($2.00)

☐ 1½ lbs Potatoes ($2.25)

☐ Green Cabbage ($4.50)

☐1 Colored Bell Pepper ($2.00) – Grill or broil pepper halves. Let cool and remove skin. Use to make in salads, eggs, on sandwiches, or make romesco.

This variety was brought to the US in the late 1800’s by an Italian family and was grown by them for almost 100 years. The seed was donated to the seed savers exchange in 1983, before Jimmy Nardello passed away at the age of 81.

The Jimmy Nardello pepper has a characteristic scrunch towards the stem and has thinner flesh than the more common bell peppers. This thin flesh lends itself well to frying rather than roasting as with bell type sweet peppers.

Fried Jimmy Nardello Peppers

Slice peppers in half lengthwise (removing seeds optional)

Heat olive oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat

Add the peppers to the frying pan stirring constantly until the skins are blistered and the peppers are slightly wilted, 6-8 minutes.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve.

Serving Suggestions:

Sauté with garlic (add at the end of cooking) and/or other herbs such as parsley.

Pairs well with a soft cheese such as goat chèvre, fresh mozzarella, burrata.

Also delicious served on top of steak.

String Beans with Ginger and Garlic

Sometimes a very simple recipe is the best way to enjoy such high quality, fresh food. This NYT cooking recipe is simple and delicious. If you’re not inspired by garlic and ginger, use the bean preparation technique and season your beans with something else to your liking. This recipe can easily be adjusted to a larger quantity of beans.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil beans until just tender but still crisp and bright green. Start testing after 4 minutes or so, being careful not to overcook. When done, plunge beans into ice water to stop cooking, lift out immediately when cool and drain on towels. (Recipe can be made to this point up to a day in advance and kept refrigerated, wrapped in towels.)

When ready to cook, heat oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add beans, ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until beans are heated through and ginger and garlic are softened and aromatic. Sprinkle with salt, and remove to a serving dish.

A seemingly simple question was posed to me the other week: Why grow this yellow flying saucer squash when you can just grow a regular green zucchini? In the moment, I didn’t have a great answer, but the question got me thinking about the many reasons that variety and biodiversity are important to our farm system.

On a farm, there are so many factors and considerations that determine what we grow. Of course, we want to grow products that we can sell and that are tasty. Because we sell at a variety of markets, to chefs and restaurants, grocery stores, and directly to people like you, there is a wide variation of products, sizes desired within our broad market creating a diverse demand therefore, more variety means more possibilities of meeting people’s needs. Also, product diversity certainly makes our farmers market setups look beautiful and inviting!

On the farm, the seasons often dictate what we grow, and we can extend seasons by growing varieties that are early season, heat tolerant, overwintering, etc. Other on-farm considerations include days to maturity (how long it takes to grow), yield, ease of harvest, disease resistance, and storability.

In the case of the flying saucer squash, its fun shape and firm, nutty texture make it a squash we’ll continue to grow. With all of the complexities and variables in agriculture, sometimes it’s that simple!

☐ 4 Ears of Corn ($3.00) – Boil or grill and eat straight off the cob or cut off the ear and add to stir-fry or salsa

Box Market Value: $32.25

Recipes

Pico de Gallo

Make this simple, fresh salsa using your tomatoes, white onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.

The tomatoes will most likely be the limiting factor so chop those first and add chopped onions and cilantro to taste. Depending on your heat preference, add chopped jalapeno. Add a little salt and lime and adjust ingredients to taste.

Tomatillo Salsa

Ingredients

5 medium tomatillos

1/4 cup water

2 serrano chiles (or jalapeno)

Handful chopped cilantro

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

salt to taste

Preparation

Peel and wash the tomatillos. Split and seed the chiles. Place the tomatillos and chiles under a broiler for about 4 minutes each side.

Transfer the blackened tomatillos, chiles, and any juices from the pan to a blender or food processor. Simply add the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin

This dish is a bit indulgent but potatoes, corn, and poblanos are such a great combination, I couldn’t resist! For a lighter version, cut the potatoes into chunks, salute with onions and olive oil for 10 minutes and then add the poblanos and corn. Sauté until ingredients are cooked through and add salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange 1/3 of potato rounds, overlapping slightly, in prepared pie dish. Sprinkle 1/3 of poblano strips over, then 1/3 of corn and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat with 1/3 of potatoes, 1/3 of poblanos, 1/3 of corn, and 1/3 of cheese. Top with remaining potatoes, poblanos, and corn, reserving remaining 1/3 of cheese. Place dish on rimmed baking sheet.

I was walking through one of the greenhouses a few days ago and couldn’t believe the size of our tomato plants. It was like walking through a tomato forest. Plants towering over my head and branches the circumference of a shovel handles. These tomatoes aren’t messing around!

The genesis of these tomatoes began in the early months of the year in our propagation house. When they are about the size of a toothpick, scion stems are meticulously grafted to separate rootstock plants. The seeding, grafting, and healing process of the tomato plants takes about 4 weeks of diligent care in the propagation house.

Once the tomatoes are planted in the high tunnels or in the field, they are “trained” by wrapping the leading stems with twine. This supports the plants vegetation and fruit as they grow larger. Each week, the plants are pruned and shoots called suckers are removed.

In the high tunnels, the tomato plants can reach the high tunnel ceiling, up to 15 feet high. If the plants remain healthy throughout the season, fruit can be harvested up to the first hard frost, usually into November. That is some serious growing power!

Have a great week and enjoy those veggies.

-Lily, CSA Coordinator

Table of Box Contents

☐ Lettuce ($2.00)

☐ Red Scallions ($2.50) – Delicious in eggs, salad, or grilled

☐ Fresh Sweet Onion ($1.50)

☐ Bunch Carrots ($3.50) – Remove tops for storage

☐Italian Parsley ($2.00) – Substitute for basil in your favorite pesto recipe or try this one from SimplyRecipes.

☐Radicchio ($3.00) – Delicious in salad or grilled. Pairs well with balsamic and an aged cheese such as parmesan.

☐Swiss Chard ($3.00) – Sauté with onions and eat with eggs or top over a grilled sausage.

Smashed Cucumber Salad

Smashing cucumbers is fun and it makes a delicious salad! I made this last week and it was so tasty, and refreshing. Definitely a new summer staple for me! Use as few or as many cucumbers as you like and season to taste.

INGREDIENTS

2-4 cucumbers

salt

Chili oil or toasted sesame oil

rice vinegar (optional)

Add-ons: toasted sesame seeds, scallions, garlic, red pepper flakes

PREPARATION

Smash the cucumbers, one at a time, using a rolling pin. Smash on one side, flip, and smash on the other.

Tear cucumbers into chunks, place in a colander, and salt. Let drain for 10 minutes.

Drizzle with the oil and add any other additional flavorings to taste.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

This twist on the classic Middle Eastern salad is delicious using quinoa but you can also use the traditional grain, bulger. This is one of those dishes that just taste better the longer the flavors meld so make a large batch and eat it all week!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cucumber

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Scallions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

Bring quinoa, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

Coleslaw with Mint and Golden Raisins

This is one of my go to salads. The mint is so fresh and the raisins add a hint of sweetness. Make a day ahead to let the raisins plum up and for the flavors to meld. Quantities are flexible depending on how you like your coleslaw. Season to taste.

I subscribe to cooking magazines and own several cookbooks and I love to read the recipes! However, when it comes to actually cooking, I almost never follow the recipe exactly. If I’m missing an ingredient, I’ll make a substitution or omit it all together. Or if there is something that I have in my fridge that I think would be a good addition to the dish, I’ll throw it in. To me, recipes are more of inspiration or reference rather than a formula. While this can be a risky approach when baking where ratios and ingredients can be critical, there is often a lot of room in for flexibility in recipes in cooking.

As a CSA member, your challenge each week is to utilize the contents of your box to make room for next week. There will be times when recipes you come across, even in the newsletter, call for ingredients that aren’t in your box. I encourage you to be flexible and adaptable. What recipe substitutions can you make to use your ingredients? Are there ingredients in your box that would be a great addition to a recipe that you found?

In the age of the internet, there are so many great digital resources for recipes and food preparation ideas. I have covered a few of my personal favorites in the recipe section.

Search their large database of recipes by ingredient or dish. And peruse their articles for ingredient tips and expert advice.

Recipes:

Thai Coleslaw with Mint and Cilantro

This fresh take on coleslaw comes to your from Christopher Kimball at Milk Street Kitchen. I made this last week and it was light and delicious. Make a large batch and eat it all week!

Coconut milk offers the right balance of richness and fresh flavor for this Napa cabbage-based coleslaw. Many vegetables worked well, but the combination of sweet sugar snap peas and crispy radishes tested best.

Fennel Slaw with Mint Vinaigrette

The sugar helps bring out the natural sweetness of the fennel, don’t leave out!

Ingredients

1 large fennel bulb (or 2 medium bulbs)

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (or honey)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 teaspoons minced shallot or onion

Make the vinaigrette: Put the lemon juice, shallot, mustard, salt, sugar and mint in a blender (or use whisk) and pulse briefly to combine. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil until it is well combined.

Shave the fennel into thin slices: Very thinly slice the fennel into 1/8 inch slices starting from the bottom of the bulb (use a mandolin if you have one). Chop some of the fennel fronds as well to toss in with the salad.

Marinate fennel with vinaigrette: Toss with the fennel and marinate for at least an hour. Serve this salad either cold or at room temperature.